The First Wonderland
by krazysmiles
Summary: AU! Peter White is ordered to bring a child outsider to Wonderland. The role holders are bored of the game and Wonderland is too dangerous for a child. As the role holders grow attached, lines blur between what's right and what is wanted.
1. Chapter 1

The gloves on his hands were white. The jacket on his shoulders, checkered and crisp. But he felt nothing, no joy at his neat appearance, no relief at the organization behind the gingham checkered lines of his walls. He felt as though time, the clock-tick of his heart was ticking on without purpose, without momentum. The monotony of bullets and paperwork was getting boring. His role in Heart Country as Prime Minister was growing heavy with the nothing burden he shouldered. The faceless were losing the shooting gallery appeal they once held. Everything was meaningless.

"White, we find your sulk too depressing. We command you to end this emotion." Vivaldi, the Queen of Heartland did not bother to stand and address the rabbit man. She felt no motivation to do so because the rabbit's mood had yet to anger her and now only tested her annoyance.

"Then find me a task to do, or order my execution and watch me un-staff this castle, leaving that excuse for a King to attend to the work left incomplete." Peter White spoke the words clinically without anger, only apathy. "Maybe his struggling incompetence and your failing ability would shift my mood." He began lightly toying with the chain of his watch, briefly considering shooting at the king standing fearfully against the queen's throne. The king was a pitiful role holder. Another replacement would be far better suited to his role, and in all honesty less likely to voice complaints against White's work load that tended to end up pointedly done by the often harangued king.

"You already have work that we have assigned. You have just chosen to ignore us." Vivaldi's violet black ringlets bounced lightly against her neck and her red lips twitched in annoyance. She understood Her Prime Minister was growing bored with his role. They all were. It seemed pointless to play this game when it didn't matter who won. The game always restarted, the role holders changed, again and again. Replaceable; it was what they were and it was a depressing thought.

White growled out a punctuated insult illustrating his doubts of the queen's hygiene as well as a blatant refusal. He was not doing mindless paperwork. He simply was not going to further belittle his replaceable existence with monotony. "I won't do it. You can threaten my head all you like, I will not do it." His pocket watch had transformed into a gun and was fixed upon the cowering king. If only that fool had the sense not to snitch. "Find another task, or don't bother to ask."

The Queen of Hearts at first started the beginning of what would have been another fire fight, but instead a better opportunity presented itself. This was a chance to change the game, make things more exciting again. A fresh start. The role holders from many previous games ago had started this practice but discontinued it due to the unfortunate results that originated. 'But we are nothing like those bumbling beginner roles, we doubt such a susceptible fate will be ours.' Vivaldi's thoughts were turned to her plan as petulantly as a child turned towards a new toy; without consideration or consequence.

"Put your gun away. You are making us cross." Vivaldi pointed her scepter down at the rabbit minister in warning. She was not having him kill a king that still had his uses.

To Peter White's mild shock the queen was not losing her temper and demanding his head, instead she was being far too tame. Even a scepter pointed at his head was a light-hearted gesture in comparison to previous assaults. Their last fight had disposed of nearly half the staff. Julius Monrey, the clockmaker responsible for fixing their clock-hearts, had been livid. As punishment he took to his work at a snail's pace, leaving White responsible for castle cleanliness. It had been surprisingly more fulfilling than paper pushing. At least when disinfecting an area he could feel safety in his germ-less environment rather than annoyance at the way his gloves occasionally caught on his papers.

"Yes, we have decided to give you another task, but only because we too are growing tired of the same." The Queen's lips puckered into a brief almost smile before returning to their thin-lipped resting place. "We order you to introduce a new player to this game."

The order brought silence into the castle. Peter White smirked with a lethal coldness. "Shall I start by taking the king's heart?" He fired experimentally near the king's head knowing Vivaldi's statement had no such implication, yet still a tattling king was a dying thing.

With that Vivaldi's temper ran short. Her voice screamed out orders for execution. Her card soldiers, dressed in red heart uniform surged forward brandishing their weapons. It was of course a pointless venture, for Peter White quickly shot the small force dead showing no more consideration than a hateful look and bored countenance. After the third waves decimation it grew pointless for Vivaldi to continue her tantrum. "Enough. Orders for your execution bore us. End this skirmish now." Vivaldi's voice carried to White as he pressed his foot into the neck of a five-card soldier before lifting it and shooting into the soldier's shoulder.

"Don't ever let me ever catch your dirty germs on my shoes again. It is an unclean and unpleasant occurrence." Peter's voice was clinical as he assessed his black shoes for scuff marks and filth.

The card almost felt it apt to point out that it had been White's foot on his neck not the other way around, but the soldier felt that it would be lost on the cold prime minister. The card reasoned a quick silent flight was best for survivals sake and fled the corridor.

Vivaldi frowned as White began ordering a nearby maid to return with fresh shoes. Sometimes the queen wondered how her Prime Minister of Heartland accomplished any tasks with the obstacles created by his germ antipathy. "Focus rabbit. We order you to bring a new outsider player into this boring game."

"Oh is that all?" The White Rabbit returned his gun to its original clock form. The maid had returned with his new clean shoes and the rabbit was too curious by the queen's order to be irritated at the length of time he had spent standing in card-germ dirtied shoes. He hurriedly tossed his old shoes away at the awaiting maid's face and stepped into the newly un-scuffed leather shoes.

"Vivaldi I don't think that is best. Other role-holders before you have tried with poor resulting outcomes." The king's forehead creased in worry. The practice of bringing outsiders into the realm of Wonderland had never been strictly forbidden, but it still remained as a great taboo. The king had seen what happened to the earlier role holders who had become driven into deep passions by outsiders. The results were always the same: obsession, rejection, depression. It was a cyclic turbulence of devastation.

"Do not dare to presume to know what is best. Besides those role holders failed because they chose poorly. We choose our foreigner with care." Her voice rang with the settlement of a mountain. Her king had no hope to persuade a tyrant.

Her attention shifted away from her Buffoon-King to her winter rabbit. "Peter White you are to bring us an outsider no older than eight." For once her rabbit did not argue or mumble an outright refusal, instead he simply shifted his glasses closer to his nose and nodded.

"But Viv-" The king forced out a strangled cry. To invite an outsider was to invite misery and the clock-break of love.

Vivaldi would hear no more from rabbit or king on the subject. They needed change so they would receive it. "We know that it is natural to fall in love with an outsider. But by choosing one so young we can escape loving them too much."

The queen did not worry about love. Love had many forms and the younger the recipient the purer the state became. Besides Wonderland was too dangerous a place for outsider children to grow up within. 'Loving them will only obligate us to return them home.' That was the only thought of precaution the queen gave to his majesty's concerns.

"I doubt I will come to love any outsider I bring here. But out of boredom's sake I will make haste. This game needs to change its pace." White was moving away from the queen leaving behind only the echo of his voice. Upon his exit from the mile high stone walls of Heart Castle he wondered what an outsider would think of this world. This world to him seemed boring and unchanging but to an outsider's perspective it might seem overwhelming. A child that had no replacement that was what this outsider would be. He felt a twinge of jealousy filter out from his clock. He truly wished he would hold such a role in this world of meaningless beings. His checkered jacket blew softly in the Wonderland air as he made his way to the hole that bridged between worlds of a saner sort.


	2. Chapter 2

The trip down the hole was, as a first for the White Rabbit, far too predictable by Wonderland standards. Falling up, up, up was so expected, expected, expected. But at least it was not paperwork, not mundane, not the same. Clocks fell away as he passed across the darkness. The fading lights were slowly inverting into light. The portal entered (or exited, terms were truly fastidious by Wonderland terms) into another garden filled with notably substandard foliage.

The Queen's gardens were far better by comparison Peter White dully noted. The care received by the roses of this garden had created a sprawling display of dull red and weakly white colors that appeared to the rabbit's crimson eyes too mundane. The Queen's gardens were filled with brilliant shades of red, shades of cerulean blood, rusted metal, and weaving maroons. It was a stark contrast to the weak shades of watery, fading red of the English garden.

This world seemed to be made up of far grayer colors. He might even dare to call this world ugly with its ordinary pigments. In the garden there was a collection of both fat-faced children and bodice-laced adults making a stir about the shrubbery. Despite the dullness of color their chatter seemed to carry more lead weighted purpose then White's orders.

Yes, there was no doubt about it. Wonderland needed not only a change but a meaning.

As the White Rabbit's light pace worked across the grassy path cut into the garden, a woman of small stature, mossy green dress, and light brown hair made his acquaintance. She was plain and only remarkable due to her ill behaved dog that found the necessity to bark frequently with little inhibition. White concluded with the sudden startle of her female shriek and the lowered growl of her small yappy dog that his appearance was something strange and new to this orderly world. Rabbits were not as the startled female cried "made to take on the likeness of man".

White found such loudness too sharp a contrast to the garden's previous quiet and decided calmly that the sounds of the lady were to be hushed. He did so using his hand as both a muffler and a weapon in the best possible manner of tastes. He was a well behaved rabbit. The lady was easily hidden into the green shrubbery alongside the swirled moss and twigs, thanks much in part to the muted tone of her bland green dress. His only regret lied with the state of his gloves, they now felt far too sullied with soil for his hygienic self-preservation. He would need to remember for the sake of future visits to bring emergency spares to combat the sticky wetness left by the leaves and dirt.

Unfortunately, White's speed and responses with the lady had left the tiny dog inconsolable and now drawn the attention of a child who was just a few years older than eight. She was a small thing, draped in far more fabric and fluffy petticoats than strictly necessary, long dark brown hair, and irises of shining blue. Her name was Alice Liddell and upon the prime minister's first discovery and personal introduction he concluded that the girl was a repelling thing.

Alice ran, dragging her too long petticoats across the mulch of flower beds and muddy puddles of her pretend oceans towards the excited bark of her cousin's dog. She had never known the thing to bark in animated glee at the sight of anything less than the exciting.

Alice could go no faster, yet she wished only that she could and so she stumbled and tripped. She was curious as to find this sudden source of pandemonium.

The White Rabbit tensed from the sound and sudden rustle of leaves at his left side, his long, furry ears twitching. Someone was coming because the damnable dog would not shut up. His clockwork heart sped and his gloves grasped at his watch chain, growing ever closer to an opening fire upon the dingy brown furred creature and cease it's uncouth behavior.

He did not want to make his task more difficult than strictly necessary and would be gladder for the silence. White frowned, knowing no other course than a quickly fired bullet, he transformed his weapon and turned the pistol upon the dog. He was going to enjoy shutting up such a poorly made pet. It was apparent that this world's clockmaker was a tradesman lacking finesse and quality. He understood the people of this world did not have replacements and did not hold roles like the players of Wonderland, but it seemed silly to apply the same reasoning to the filthy animals. Why would any consider replacing a clock for a midget dog in this world's game? It was beyond the logical standard of etiquette.

As though his actions had caused offense with the very creator of this world a small and grubby little girl ran at him with the force of a train. She gripped at his pant leg and being quite smaller than her supposed age for she was able reach a head no higher than the rabbit's stomach. It would have been a far more charming display had the girl not been filthy with mud.

White found his gun nearly fell out of his hands from the shock of finding a little girl so quickly in consideration of his task and horror from being so quickly submerged with dripping germs and grime.

He froze. He felt everything inside freeze. His thighs tensed feeling the strongest of urges to run without halt, never pausing to look back towards the brunette child reaching violently for his ears. There was mud everywhere. But his mission was vital; Wonderland was becoming too boring. "Little girl, how old are you?" He scowled as she jumped high to grip his ears only to land a muddy print on his jacket. The deplorable little girl was a nuisance.

"Ten." She smiled lightly at the rabbit not carry one bit that there were streaks of dirt upon her cheeks.

"Ah, in that case remove your grimy little fingers you disgusting little child. I'm looking for a little one no older then eight, and this day has lasted far too late." Peter White coldly pushed the disgusting little dirt goblin onto the ground enjoying the little scream she let out as her little body slid along with her muddy petticoats across the ground.

Unfortunately, it seemed the blond child found his irritation all too amusing. She grinned widely showing a mix permanent and baby teeth. She was not a rapidly developing flower and more like a Neverland variety of an un-aging blossom. She was more petit and less adult in her mannerisms. White doubted her age suited suited her mental capacity for she acted more alike to a toddler.

"Hello . You are a very handsome rabbit. May I touch your ears ?" She once again reached above to grip at his ears jumping up.

White leap away startling her with the height of his jump. "I am Prime Minister White not ." He chided from a safe distance from the dirty girl.

"I'm Alice." Still she reached for his ears. "I did not say you could touch my ears" He let his scowl deepen.

The girl's grin only grew. "Oh." She stared at her feet still smiling.

"Quite." White found some levity in the girl's smile and allowed his scowl to lift into a thin lipped line.

There came a noise rather like shouting and much akin to panic. Perhaps the best of places to place young women clad in mossy green was not within the bushes. It seemed that a large party of well dressed nobles had uncovered the spoils of Peter White's less lethal of encounters.

The girl, Alice, was muddy, but she was youthful in appearance. The queen would be easily convinced the girl was eight and the girl would be easier to incentivize into keeping the story to memory.

Personally, he would have preferred taking a better kept little one to Wonderland but when the pickings were slim and the girl available was adequately youthful in appearance White felt the conclusion obvious. "Follow me. I'm running late." He huffed out the word irritated at the sudden haste necessary for his job.

He moved forward never turning to look upon the girl, not caring if she did follow him. Although his sharp ear caught each footfall and concluded she had made up her mind on the subject and was treading heavily upon leaves and twigs on her journey.

"Wait. Rabbit you're moving too fast." She was tripping often on the long grass, trying desperately to keep up. She shouted at the rabbit, tripping and skinning her knee against gravel.

"Well I certainly am not going to carry you there so hurry up. It is not much farther." He turned to see the girl, Alice trip onto dirt. He most definitely would not be carrying her now that she had become contaminated in fresh dirt.

She stumbled as she rose, her eyes teary.

"Follow me down." He waited for her to come the hole; she was still sniffling. He jumped forward and she followed.

Alice stared frightened, and intrigued by the cluttered passage of time shown by the falling and rising clocks. "Will we fall through the center of the earth?"

White stared at her bemused. "No." He was feeling a bit lighter at her curiosity. She was not too afraid to be surrounded by falling time. It made him happy. Of course only to a marginal degree of amusement, but still it was a rare emotion.

When they made it through the hole they stood upon the neutral, unglamorous gateway point of Clover Tower. Peter White felt the prickling sensation of irritation fill him as Alice searched around, excitedly taking in her sights.

He felt it was a rude action to engage in when in front of one of Heartland's roleholders. He would have rather her wait, but he understood that the couriosity of a roleholder often won out over decorum. He gave in to frustration and mild jealousy over the girl's attentions being spent upon the grayness of Clover and pulled her away by the hand. His glove fortunately protected him from the foreigner's germs so he did not worry much over the warmth of her hand in his. "Follow me. We need to get to the Castle of Hearts before the next time change. We have a schedule to keep."


End file.
